UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iran requested on Monday a special meeting of a U.N. committee on the United States' refusal to grant a visa to Tehran's new U.N. ambassador appointee, but it has so far refrained from calling for any specific action, the committee's chairman said.

The United States said on Friday it would not grant a visa to Hamid Abutalebi because of his links to the 1979-1981 Tehran hostage crisis when radical Iranian students seized the U.S. Embassy and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days. Abutalebi has said that he acted only as a translator.

Iran has asked for a meeting of the U.N. Committee on Relations with the Host Country, said Cyprus U.N. Ambassador Nicholas Emiliou, who chairs the 19-member group which deals with issues including visas, immigration and security.

"They have specified that they do not request any action on the part of the committee. They simply wish to brief us for the time being at least," Emiliou said, adding that the committee would likely meet next week.

Officials, diplomats and academics could not recall past cases of the United States denying a U.N. ambassador's visa.

Iranian Foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham was quoted by state news agency IRNA earlier on Monday as saying: "The official mechanisms for following up the complaint have been activated and we are going to follow up the case."

President Barack Obama had come under strong pressure not to allow Abutalebi into the country to take up his position in New York. Former hostages raised objections to Abutalebi, and a normally divided Congress passed legislation that would ban him.

The White House is still reviewing the legislation, which would bar any U.N. representative deemed to be behind acts of terrorism or espionage against the United States. It would need Obama's signature to become law.

Tehran has steadfastly stuck by its choice for U.N. ambassador, describing Abutalebi as a seasoned diplomat. He has served as ambassador to Italy, Belgium and Australia and is not known as a hardliner or for having staunchly anti-Western views.

Iran had said on Saturday it would take action against Washington at the United Nations.

Under a 1947 "headquarters agreement" the United States is generally required to allow access to the United Nations for foreign diplomats. But Washington says it can deny visas for diplomats for "security, terrorism, and foreign policy" reasons.

A 1947 Joint Resolution of Congress said nothing should be seen as "diminishing, abridging, or weakening the right of the United States to safeguard its own security and completely control the entrance of aliens" into any part of the United States aside from the U.N. headquarters.

PALESTINIAN PROBLEM

In 1988 Washington denied a visa for Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat, who wanted to address a U.N. debate on Palestine. U.S. secretary of state at the time George Schultz said Arafat was denied entry because he condoned terrorist attacks on Americans.

U.N. lawyers reported to the Committee on Relations with the Host Country that the United States was obligated to grant the visa under the U.N.'s headquarters' agreement.

The lawyers also said the headquarters agreement "does not contain a reservation of the right to bar the entry of those who represent, in the view of the host country, a threat to its security."

The headquarters agreement says disputes should be referred to a tribunal of three arbitrators: one each chosen by the United Nations and United States and the third agreed by both or appointed by the International Court of Justice president.

This dispute mechanism was used in 1988 after the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act of 1987 declared the PLO a terrorist group and outlawed it from operating in the United States. Under this law the United States tried to shut down the PLO U.N. mission.

The United Nations declared the bid a "clear violation" of the headquarters agreement and tried to start the dispute settlement process with the United States to resolve the issue.

The United States refused to take part in the arbitration with the United Nations, saying it would "not serve a useful purpose." The United Nations then requested a legal advisory from the International Court of Justice, which found that Washington was obligated to enter into arbitration.

The PLO also took legal action in the United States and Washington only stopped its bid to shut down the PLO U.N. mission when a U.S. Federal Court judge ruled that the mission's status was protected by the host country agreement.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a tense phone call on Monday that Moscow would face further costs for its actions in Ukraine and should use its influence to get separatists in the country to stand down.

Armed pro-Russian separatists seized more buildings in eastern Ukraine earlier in the day, expanding their control after the government failed to follow through on a threatened military crackdown.

In a call that the White House said Moscow requested, Obama told Putin that those forces were threatening to undermine and destabilize the government in Kiev.

"The president emphasized that all irregular forces in the country need to lay down their arms, and he urged President Putin to use his influence with these armed, pro-Russian groups to convince them to depart the buildings they have seized," the White House said in a statement.

Obama said Russian troops needed to withdraw from Ukraine's border to defuse tensions and made a point of praising Kiev for its "remarkable restraint" and efforts to unify the country with elections, constitutional reform and proposals to decentralize power to local governments.

"The president noted Russia's growing political and economic isolation as a result of its actions in Ukraine and made clear that the costs Russia already has incurred will increase if those actions persist," the White House said.

"(He) said that while he continues to believe that a diplomatic solution is still possible, it cannot succeed in an environment of Russian military intimidation on Ukraine's borders, armed provocation within Ukraine, and escalatory rhetoric by Kremlin officials."

The Kremlin said Putin told Obama during the call that Russia was not interfering in Ukraine and urged Washington to use its influence to prevent bloodshed.

Earlier, U.S. officials stopped short of announcing a new set of sanctions against Russia but said they were in consultations with European partners about the prospect.

The European Union agreed on Monday to step up sanctions against Moscow by expanding a list of people subjected to asset freezes and visa bans.

A senior administration official described the call between Obama and Putin as "frank and direct," a diplomatic construction that usually means tense.

MORE COSTS

The next round of U.S. sanctions, which would be the fourth imposed since the Ukraine crisis began, is likely to target Russians close to Putin as well as Russian entities, three sources familiar with the discussions said on Sunday.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki noted that the United States was prepared to impose sanctions on individuals and entities in the financial services, energy, metals, mining, engineering and defence sectors.

The sanctions have been the most visible sign of U.S. anger at Russia's annexation of the Crimea region in southern Ukraine last month, reflecting the deepest plunge in U.S.-Russian relations since the Cold War.

U.S. officials declined to identify a timeline on Monday for further sanctions.

"I can assure you that Russia's provocations - further transgressions and provocations will come with a cost. And I'm not here to specify what cost will come from which specific action, but there have already been costs imposed on Russia; there will be further costs imposed on Russia," White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.

Obama spoke to French President Francois Hollande about the crisis on Monday and, as he did later with Putin, praised Ukraine's government for showing restraint, a sign Washington hopes Kiev will hold that course.

Carney also confirmed that the director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, John Brennan, had been in Kiev over the weekend and decried what he called "false claims" levelled at the CIA by Russian authorities.

"U.S. and Russian intelligence officials have met over the years. To imply that U.S. officials meeting with their counterparts (in Kiev) is anything other than in the same spirit is absurd," he said.

According to media reports, Russia had urged Washington to explain what Brennan was doing in Ukraine.

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Eduardo Campos, a business-friendly socialist from Brazil's poor north-eastern region, announced on Monday he will seek the presidency, vowing to restore confidence in the country's fiscal accounts and once booming economy.

The two-time governor of Pernambuco state picked as his running mate Marina Silva, a popular environmentalist who will bring millions of votes to the ticket. She will also draw the opposition of Brazil's wealthy agribusiness sector of which she is a declared enemy.

Campos, a youthful and charismatic politician, hopes to capitalize on growing discontent with the ruling Workers' Party that has been in power for 13 years by offering to preserve its social programs while providing more incentives for private investment.

Latin America's largest economy has slumped under President Dilma Rousseff. Standard & Poor's cut Brazil's credit rating last month by one notch to BBB-, the agency's lowest grade rating, citing slow growth and rising public debt.

"After three years, Brazil has come to a halt, the Brazilian people have lost hope, and the world has become disenchanted with us," Campos, 48, told a meeting of his Brazilian Socialist Party, which launched his nomination.

"Brazil's economic problems are mainly an issue of confidence and attitude. The world needs to see that Brazil has direction and transparency in its government accounts," he said.

ROUSSEFF VULNERABLE

Campos faces an uphill battle. He is running third in polls of voters' intentions, far behind Rousseff. But he has advanced closer to the main opposition leader, centrist Aécio Neves, since joining forces with Silva, a former presidential candidate who won 19 million votes in 2010.

A Datafolha poll in the first week of April showed support for Rousseff had dropped six percentage points to 38 percent since February, with Neves flat at 16 percent and Campos rising one point to 10 percent.

With inflation speeding up and the risk of anti-World Cup protests in June, these numbers could change swiftly when the election campaign gets off in earnest in July.

"If Rousseff enters a tailspin, Campos has potential to grow," said David Fleischer, a University of Brasilia politics professor who sees Campos' numbers rising when polls are based on electoral slates that include Silva's name.

While Campos announced his bid in the capital, Rousseff visited Pernambuco to grab headlines away from its former governor and highlight her government's financial backing for projects that made it one of Brazil's fastest-growing states.

Campos, the grandson of a beloved former governor of Pernambuco, has cosied up to the private sector, promising to reduce red tape and get government off their backs. He is expected to cut public spending to improve fiscal saving and try to lighten the heavy tax burden that businesses face in Brazil.

"It is easy to be business-friendly after Dilma, who ended up being totally unfriendly to business," said Andre Perfeito, chief economist at Gradual Investimentos. "Anyone else will be more palatable to markets."

The shares of state-run companies, which lost considerable market value as a result of Rousseff's interventionist policies, have gained on the Sao Paulo stock market in recent weeks on poll data that showed support for Rousseff was slipping.

If elected, middle-of-the-road Campos would not have much room to change macroeconomic policies, but he could achieve a lot by restoring credibility in long-term investment projects in Brazil, Perfeito said.

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If you want to know the best places to get your freak on, Jacqueline M. Wood has the answer for you in Party On.

Jacqueline M. Wood must have the best job in the world. Get this: She's paid by the producers from E! to travel around the globe to scour for the best places to party. And we don't mean your typical club in Ibiza or Miami; we're talking about places where the high rollers and celebrities go to let their hair down.

But there's a catch. She has to take in the sight and culture and party for 48 hours in each location. For Wood, that's a walk in the park, really.

"That's the kind of personality that I have anyway. When I go on a holiday, I want to see everything. I want to know where are the hottest places to go, the best restaurants, the cool beach parties. I've always been that way," says Wood in an interview in Los Angeles about her new travel show Party On.

Though it might seem she was born for the job, getting the gig wasn't that easy. Everyone in Los Angeles seemed to be eyeing the plum spot as the host of Party On.

Wood had to audition for the job and her experience as a soap star helped her ace the screen test.

"They wanted me (to do a piece) on Venice Beach. So, I really prepared myself. I wrote an 80-page script on what I knew about Venice Beach for the shoot," adds the leggy beauty.

Memorising the 80-page script was easy peasy for Wood who starred in The Bold And The Beautiful for five years. The next day, she was told she got the job.

Wood then packed her bags and was ready to go. Collaborating with the producers of the show as well as information from celebrity friends, Wood had a list of places to visit for Party On.

A whole new world: Jacqueline M. Wood quit her cushy job as a daytime soap star to try out new things. She's now the host of the travel series Party On.

From Mykonos and Marbella ("Eva Longoria goes there") to Saint Tropez and Sardinia ("Billionaires' playground of opulence"), Wood was taking in the sights and partying on down.

When asked to name her favourite destination she visited for the show, without missing a heartbeat, Wood replies: "Mykonos! I loved it there. There's just something about the town where you could just go on your ATV and ride around and go to all the restaurants. The food is great; they have great local designers. I bought a lot of bikinis, you know I am a beach girl. I think the vibe there is great. And I got myself into a drag competition."

Even in far flung places, Wood was recognised from her acting days. At a parade in Ibiza, Wood decided to join in the festivities and one fan spotted her in the throng of people on the street.

"So I ended up, you know, body paint, hair up, like completely masked and I was in this little outfit and someone shouted: 'There's Stephie, that b**** from Bold And Beautiful'," she laughs.

But it is not all just fun and glamour on Party On; Wood was also put to the test during filming. Nothing makes for good drama than attempting what looks like the seemingly impossible.

In Sardinia, she was asked to eat a local delicacy – cheese with live worms in it – but Wood had to turn it down because she felt queasy.

But she quickly adds: "I am usually up for trying local delicacies (just not the worms). You know, I did try other stuff from cow appendix to sheep brain and even dormouse in Croatia."

Wood did admit that she was terrified at one point in Marbella when she had to jump off a bridge in an extreme sports challenge.

"I have always wanted to go skydiving; it just seems really cool. But this is different, there is just something about climbing over a bridge and jumping off," she says.

"It is not a bungee. It is a rope so you just fall and then you swing. I really got out of my comfort zone and it was absolutely terrifying. I am really happy that I did it."

Her daredevil attitude also extends to her career. After years of starring in a daytime soap, Wood decided to leave a cushy job to explore other options in showbusiness.

"We're all human and to leave a steady job, it is terrifying. But I just told myself, 'Hey, you know what? I'm going to look back and I'm going to regret if I didn't try it."

So far, everything is coming up roses for Wood. She's happy with her hosting stint for E's Party On and is waiting for what comes next. For an adventurous girl like Wood, she's ready for anything. So, bring it!

>> Party On premieres tonight at 11pm on E! (Astro Ch 712).

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The actor stars opposite Kevin Costner in a new movie called Draft Day.

TOM Welling is not one who likes to dwell on the past.

Or at least that's what we gathered when Star2 spoke to the actor in a phone interview from Los Angeles to promote his latest film, Draft Day.

Just moments into the interview, the 36-year-old actor, who catapulted to fame after starring in Smallville, suggested he'd rather talk about his current project than reflect on his Clark Kent days.

"I'm not here to talk about that (Smallville), I'm here to talk about Draft Day," he said politely.

The actor also had little to elaborate on his absence from the industry since the Superman-based TV series ended in 2011, only stating that he felt the need to take a break after being on the show for a decade.

However, he nabbed a supporting role on historical drama Parkland and was credited as an executive producer on the cheerleading series, Hellcats.

See if work and love can mix as Jennifer Garner and Kevin Costner star as colleagues and lovers in the sports flick, Draft Day.

But Welling suggested he has hung his Superman cape for good: "I don't miss it at all, I think it was a great experience. I learned a lot, but after 10 years, I think everybody was ready to move on. I'm happy I was able to spend so much time to explore that role.

"Tom Welling in his 20s is Smallville, Tom Welling in his 30s is Draft Day," he put it simply.

Draft Day, directed by Ivan Reitman, is a sports comedy drama that zeroes in on a day in the life of Sonny Weaver Jr (Kevin Costner), who is the general manager of American football team Cleveland Browns. It is the day of the National Football League (NFL) draft and it is up to Sonny to improve his team's standing by drafting the best players.

For the uninitiated, the NFL Draft is a highly-anticipated event where all 32 football teams in the League select new eligible college players to join their clubs. For the players, if drafted, it is a day where their lives are forever changed. For the teams, it is an opportunity to restructure and reinvent, ensuring a better performance at the upcoming football season.

The first pick is the most coveted, but teams can trade picks among each other. General manager Sonny has been trying for 13 years to make the first draft in the hopes of reviving the Cleveland Browns.

On top of trying to ensure a stellar line-up of players, Sonny has to juggle the demands of those around him – his head coach Vince Penn (Denis Leary) who has a different vision for the team, his strong-willed girlfriend and colleague Ali (Jennifer Garner) and his mother Barb Weaver (Ellen Burstyn) who brings up unresolved issues from the past.

"Sonny is taking a beating that day and it is coming from everywhere. It's all falling down on him to the point where he can't even turn a corner or turn on the radio without hearing his name. It's not his imagination that there are people after his head," said Costner in production notes provided by GSC Movies.

As such, there is a lot more to Draft Day than your run-off-the-mill sports flick.

"It is a story about football of course, but it's really a story about relationships. In particular, familial relationships with his mother, and with his father, who had just passed away the week before. There's also the story of the three potential rookies that could be drafted," said Reitman.

Welling plays one of the football players, Brian Drew, whose career is threatened should these rookies gain a spot in the team. "He's an NFL quarterback who suffered a near career-ending knee injury last year. Over the summer, he worked really hard, coming back in the best shape of his life," Welling described his role.

"He's prepared to be what the team needs in a quarterback, but as he finds out on draft day, he may be replaced by an unproven rookie sensation. He's not happy about that at all."

Growing up, Welling shared he was fairly active, playing soccer, baseball and basketball.

But to truly embody his character, he headed for the actual training ground.

"I talked to former NFL quarterback players and learned about their lifestyle. I also spent a couple of days in the Cleveland Browns training camp and watched them practice. It takes a lot of dedication and hardwork," said the actor.

In fact, to ensure an accurate depiction of the sport, the film involved the NFL in its scriptwriting besides getting input from the New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum and New York Post sportswriter Steve Serby.

Welling – who sports a crew cut now, a huge departure from his tousled boy-next-door do in Smallville – definitely looks the part as a quarterback, but he said the look was not intentional: "I (cut my hair) four days before I even saw the script. It's just something I did for myself, my hair had gotten too long, and I haven't shaved it since I was 15."

After appearing in Smallville for 10 seasons, did the 1.91m-tall actor feel he has been typecast to play certain roles?

"I haven't been told that I didn't get a job because of another job I had. If I hadn't done Smallville, I wouldn't have been able to do Draft Day. What I learned from Smallville created more opportunities," he responded.

True enough, his breakthrough role on the show enabled him to star alongside two-time Oscar-winner Costner.

"I met him for the first time just 20 minutes before we shot a scene. It was fantastic. I was more like a fan meeting Kevin Costner," Welling gushed about working with 59-year-old actor.

Incidentally, Costner played Superman's earthly father in last year's Man Of Steel.

The actor stars opposite Kevin Costner in a new movie called Draft Day.

TOM Welling is not one who likes to dwell on the past.

Or at least that's what we gathered when Star2 spoke to the actor in a phone interview from Los Angeles to promote his latest film, Draft Day.

Just moments into the interview, the 36-year-old actor, who catapulted to fame after starring in Smallville, suggested he'd rather talk about his current project than reflect on his Clark Kent days.

"I'm not here to talk about that (Smallville), I'm here to talk about Draft Day," he said politely.

The actor also had little to elaborate on his absence from the industry since the Superman-based TV series ended in 2011, only stating that he felt the need to take a break after being on the show for a decade.

However, he nabbed a supporting role on historical drama Parkland and was credited as an executive producer on the cheerleading series, Hellcats.

See if work and love can mix as Jennifer Garner and Kevin Costner star as colleagues and lovers in the sports flick, Draft Day.

But Welling suggested he has hung his Superman cape for good: "I don't miss it at all, I think it was a great experience. I learned a lot, but after 10 years, I think everybody was ready to move on. I'm happy I was able to spend so much time to explore that role.

"Tom Welling in his 20s is Smallville, Tom Welling in his 30s is Draft Day," he put it simply.

Draft Day, directed by Ivan Reitman, is a sports comedy drama that zeroes in on a day in the life of Sonny Weaver Jr (Kevin Costner), who is the general manager of American football team Cleveland Browns. It is the day of the National Football League (NFL) draft and it is up to Sonny to improve his team's standing by drafting the best players.

For the uninitiated, the NFL Draft is a highly-anticipated event where all 32 football teams in the League select new eligible college players to join their clubs. For the players, if drafted, it is a day where their lives are forever changed. For the teams, it is an opportunity to restructure and reinvent, ensuring a better performance at the upcoming football season.

The first pick is the most coveted, but teams can trade picks among each other. General manager Sonny has been trying for 13 years to make the first draft in the hopes of reviving the Cleveland Browns.

On top of trying to ensure a stellar line-up of players, Sonny has to juggle the demands of those around him – his head coach Vince Penn (Denis Leary) who has a different vision for the team, his strong-willed girlfriend and colleague Ali (Jennifer Garner) and his mother Barb Weaver (Ellen Burstyn) who brings up unresolved issues from the past.

"Sonny is taking a beating that day and it is coming from everywhere. It's all falling down on him to the point where he can't even turn a corner or turn on the radio without hearing his name. It's not his imagination that there are people after his head," said Costner in production notes provided by GSC Movies.

As such, there is a lot more to Draft Day than your run-off-the-mill sports flick.

"It is a story about football of course, but it's really a story about relationships. In particular, familial relationships with his mother, and with his father, who had just passed away the week before. There's also the story of the three potential rookies that could be drafted," said Reitman.

Welling plays one of the football players, Brian Drew, whose career is threatened should these rookies gain a spot in the team. "He's an NFL quarterback who suffered a near career-ending knee injury last year. Over the summer, he worked really hard, coming back in the best shape of his life," Welling described his role.

"He's prepared to be what the team needs in a quarterback, but as he finds out on draft day, he may be replaced by an unproven rookie sensation. He's not happy about that at all."

Growing up, Welling shared he was fairly active, playing soccer, baseball and basketball.

But to truly embody his character, he headed for the actual training ground.

"I talked to former NFL quarterback players and learned about their lifestyle. I also spent a couple of days in the Cleveland Browns training camp and watched them practice. It takes a lot of dedication and hardwork," said the actor.

In fact, to ensure an accurate depiction of the sport, the film involved the NFL in its scriptwriting besides getting input from the New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum and New York Post sportswriter Steve Serby.

Welling – who sports a crew cut now, a huge departure from his tousled boy-next-door do in Smallville – definitely looks the part as a quarterback, but he said the look was not intentional: "I (cut my hair) four days before I even saw the script. It's just something I did for myself, my hair had gotten too long, and I haven't shaved it since I was 15."

After appearing in Smallville for 10 seasons, did the 1.91m-tall actor feel he has been typecast to play certain roles?

"I haven't been told that I didn't get a job because of another job I had. If I hadn't done Smallville, I wouldn't have been able to do Draft Day. What I learned from Smallville created more opportunities," he responded.

True enough, his breakthrough role on the show enabled him to star alongside two-time Oscar-winner Costner.

"I met him for the first time just 20 minutes before we shot a scene. It was fantastic. I was more like a fan meeting Kevin Costner," Welling gushed about working with 59-year-old actor.

Incidentally, Costner played Superman's earthly father in last year's Man Of Steel.

A haunted mirror, a murderous father and two siblings seeking revenge form the plot for the new supernatural thriller Oculus, which blurs perceptions and reality with ghostly scares.

Oculus follows a young woman, Kaylie, who reunites with her brother Tim after his release from an institution where he was held for a decade for killing their father, who had murdered their mother.

Kaylie is convinced that a large ornate mirror in their home caused the mental instability and subsequent demise of her parents, and is determined to clear her father's name of murder by proving the mirror is haunted by a manipulative entity.

"Kaylie is not running from the entity, she's running to it, and the worse it gets, the more happy and excited she gets because it's verifying everything that she believed, so it's just counteracting everything that we're used to," said British actress Karen Gillan, discussing her character.

The film flits between past and present, and what is real is constantly called into question as the two siblings try to right a heinous wrong. In one particularly unsettling scene, Kaylie bites into an apple, only to find it's a light bulb.

Karen Gillan in 'Oculus'.

"To play with who's sane, who's insane, we start off thinking that Kaylie is completely together and then we gradually think that maybe she's totally unhinged," Gillan said.

"It's all about perception because that's what the mirror plays with," she added.

Oculus is the latest release from producer Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions, the company behind the runaway success of Paranormal Activity, a film made for US$11,000 (RM35,200) that grossed US$193mil (RM617.6mil) at the worldwide box office, spawning a franchise for Paramount Pictures, which distributed the films.

The Paranormal franchise deals with a supernatural demonic entity that haunts the interconnected families featured in each film, and has set off a new wave of ghostly horror films.

"Horror movies have gotten much more supernatural-focused, and I think that's what the trend is at the moment, but I think at some point it'll swing back to more real, horrible events," Blum said.

Scotland native Gillan, 26, had her breakthrough role in 2010, playing Amy Pond on British time travel sci-fi television series Doctor Who, an experience that she called "my three years of drama school". Since then, she has been cast as the villain Nebula in the upcoming Marvel film Guardians Of The Galaxy, a role that she shaved her long red hair for.

"The female villain in the film, that is something I've never done before, it's brand-new territory, and I just thought I'm going to have some fun with this," the actress said.

In addition to shaving her head, Gillan trained for two months to get into the physical shape of Nebula, a sadistic assassin employed by super-villain Thanos. She said she is fascinated by human behaviour and psychology.

"Finding the motivation for her to be the baddie is quite interesting. It's like being a lawyer, finding the redeeming features so that she's not just bad for the sake of being bad," she said.

"And it's just fun to play the baddie," she added with a laugh. — Reuters

PASIR GUDANG: Eco World Development Group Bhd (formerly Focal Aims Holdings Bhd) will start developing its remaining undeveloped land at the Kota Masai township by September.

President and chief executive officer Datuk Chang Khim Wah told StarBiz the development would cover 404.47ha of the remaining undeveloped land of 1,005.23ha township here.

He said it had earmarked a 311.60ha site of the 404.47ha land for 7,000 units of residential properties while 80.93ha was for commercial units and green industrial properties.

"We are already in the planning stage now including the theme for the new development and indicative pricing for the proposed residential properties,'' said Chang on Sunday.

He said this at the recycling campaign jointly organised by Eco World Group, Pasir Gudang Municipal Council and Johor Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation at Kota Masai here.

Chang said the company was excited to embark on the second phase development of the township, adding that it would bring "something new to the area which would be a benchmark" for future development within the Masai-Pasir Gudang growth corridor.

SINGAPORE: Gold was trading near its highest in three weeks on Tuesday as heightened tensions between the West and Russia over Ukraine lifted the metal's safe-haven appeal.

Palladium continued to hold near its highest since August 2011 on worries over supply constrains from Russia and South Africa, the top two producers of the metal. Spot gold was steady at US$1,325.90 an ounce by 0021 GMT, not too far from its 3-week high of US$1,330.90 hit on Monday.

Palladium was near its near three-year high of US$816.10 on fears that US sanctions on Russia would curb supply, and on prolonged mine strikes in South Africa.

Pro-Russian separatists ignored an ultimatum to leave occupied government buildings in eastern Ukraine and instead seized more buildings as the government failed to follow through on a threatened military crackdown.

US President Barack Obama criticized Russia in a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin later on Monday, saying Moscow's actions in Ukraine were not conducive to a diplomatic solution.

SPDR Gold Trust, the world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, said its holdings rose 1.80 tonnes to 806.22 tonnes - the first inflow since March 24. – Reuters

Ceritalah Indonesia chronicles the transformation of Indonesia from 1998 to 2014. Once a nation in turmoil, Indonesia is now a rising regional power thanks to the wisdom of its leaders and the resilience of its people.

The writer Karim Raslan - who has travelled across the archipelago for more than 20 years - explores the lives and stories of ordinary Indonesians across the archipelago while also identifying new, emerging, challenges to Indonesia.

He explores four locations that highlight the stunning diversity of Indonesia - Solo, Banda Aceh, Ambon and Surabaya - to understand one of the most remarkable developments of our time.

Ceritalah Indonesia concludes in the capital of East Java, Surabaya. A lively and bustling metropolis, Surabaya is also Indonesia's second-largest city. There, he visits the renowned religious leader, Ustad Khoiron. The Ustad, along with his wife Roudhatul, have spent years working and living in Bangunari, one of Surabaya's most notorious red light districts.

Karim also speaks to a former prostitute and local thug who were won over by the Ustad's message of compassion and repentance. Thanks to the Ustad's gentle and patient approach, vice activities have ended in Bangunsari.

JOHOR BARU: School teacher J. Ammani has turned to Glogster to make learning English fun and it has become an eye-opener to not only her students here but also educators worldwide.

Those not familiar with this social network, Glogster allows users to create free interactive posters, or glogs, which is short for graphic blogs.

This interactive multimedia image looks like a poster, but readers can interact with the content. While the majority of users are young people, the tool has become helpful to tea­chers, educators and those in the advertising business.

The user inserts text, images, photos, audio (MP3), videos, special effects and other elements into their glogs to generate a multimedia online creation and share with other users on the site or via other social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter.

Ammani, 29, who teaches at SMK Kempas said her own teaching module on Glogster had been internationally recognised, when she represented Malaysia at the Microsoft in Education Global Forum in Barcelona, Spain, between March 9 and March 16.

"I was the winner in the Expert Educator Competition in the category of knowledge construction and critical thinking with my module, titled Poster Yourself Programme.

"I won after being a finalist among 250 people from 78 countries. A total of 23,000 people worldwide took part in the competition," she said in a recent interview here.

Ammani, who has been a teacher for six years, added that her passion for teaching English had pushed her to come up with ideas and ways to make learning the language fun through her module, which was developed last year.

"I decided to make the traditional classroom learning of English fun with technology and interacting with the community," she said, explaining that as part of her module, her students were divided into groups and required to interview goreng pisang sellers, stall operators and shops within a 2km radius from the school.

"My students record their interviews. If it is in Malay, I ask them to use the Bing software to translate the interview into English and then use movie maker to show their project to the entire class," she added.

Besides the social media, Ammani got her 13-year-old and 14-year-old students to speak in English with students from overseas via Skype.

"So far we have conversed with students from Thailand, Indonesia and India and it was a real eye opener for my students who realise that English is an important language, especially internationally," she said, adding that it helped them learn about different cultures.

Ammani said within two weeks of using her module, she had seen marked improvements in her students with regard to their personality, proficiency in the language and their level of motivation, adding that the students also became more keen to learn English.

Prior to the Microsoft competition last month, Ammani had represented Malaysia in a Unesco event on associated school projects in New Delhi in 2009, had won a gold award from the Asia Europe Foundation in 2010 and was a moderator at the Johor International Leadership conference in 2011.

She credits her students for all her winnings and thanked her school administration for their support, especially in granting her unrecorded leave to represent Malaysia in Spain.

SEREMBAN: Today is the Tamil new year of Chittirai Puthandu. But instead of performing special prayers and making food offerings at temples, Hindu mother S. Deepa will spend it with her nine-year-old daughter, away from other family members.

The mother of two said she felt empty as her six-year-old son was not with her to celebrate the occasion.

The son was allegedly snatched by her Muslim convert ex-husband Izwan Abdullah about 48 hours after the High Court gave Deepa the custody of the couple's two children.

"In previous years, we would celebrate the occasion on a grand scale dressed in new clothes and would perform prayers at a temple near our home," said Deepa, who had to move out of her home after the son was taken away.

"Instead of being at the temple on this auspicious day, here I am thinking where I would have to move tomorrow so that my daughter will be safe with me," she said without disclosing her whereabouts.

Deepa, a clerk, and Izwan are in the midst of a bitter custody battle over their two children.

She claimed that Izwan had, prior to that, abandoned the family but discreetly returned and converted the children to Islam last April.

He also applied for and was granted custody of their children by the Syariah High Court.

Deepa said although the police refused to investigate her ex-husband for allegedly snatching their son from her, she would continue to fight for justice.

"I am not going to take this sitting down. I will fight until my children are back with me and will certainly challenge their conversion, which was done without my knowledge," she said.

However, she said she would give her children the freedom to choose which faith they wanted once they turned 18.

Deepa said she had nothing against Islam as her mother and siblings had also embraced the faith and are married to Muslims.

She also refuted a claim made by Izwan that her son was happier living with him.

"I do not want to talk about this as the judge can ask them directly when the matter is heard before the higher civil court," she said.

Izwan, a former lorry driver who is now a volunteer with Muslim non-governmental organisation Yayasan Kasih Sayang Negri Sembilan, said he might call for a press conference next week to give his side of the story.

A haunted mirror, a murderous father and two siblings seeking revenge form the plot for the new supernatural thriller Oculus, which blurs perceptions and reality with ghostly scares.

Oculus follows a young woman, Kaylie, who reunites with her brother Tim after his release from an institution where he was held for a decade for killing their father, who had murdered their mother.

Kaylie is convinced that a large ornate mirror in their home caused the mental instability and subsequent demise of her parents, and is determined to clear her father's name of murder by proving the mirror is haunted by a manipulative entity.

"Kaylie is not running from the entity, she's running to it, and the worse it gets, the more happy and excited she gets because it's verifying everything that she believed, so it's just counteracting everything that we're used to," said British actress Karen Gillan, discussing her character.

The film flits between past and present, and what is real is constantly called into question as the two siblings try to right a heinous wrong. In one particularly unsettling scene, Kaylie bites into an apple, only to find it's a light bulb.

Karen Gillan in 'Oculus'.

"To play with who's sane, who's insane, we start off thinking that Kaylie is completely together and then we gradually think that maybe she's totally unhinged," Gillan said.

"It's all about perception because that's what the mirror plays with," she added.

Oculus is the latest release from producer Jason Blum's Blumhouse Productions, the company behind the runaway success of Paranormal Activity, a film made for US$11,000 (RM35,200) that grossed US$193mil (RM617.6mil) at the worldwide box office, spawning a franchise for Paramount Pictures, which distributed the films.

The Paranormal franchise deals with a supernatural demonic entity that haunts the interconnected families featured in each film, and has set off a new wave of ghostly horror films.

"Horror movies have gotten much more supernatural-focused, and I think that's what the trend is at the moment, but I think at some point it'll swing back to more real, horrible events," Blum said.

Scotland native Gillan, 26, had her breakthrough role in 2010, playing Amy Pond on British time travel sci-fi television series Doctor Who, an experience that she called "my three years of drama school". Since then, she has been cast as the villain Nebula in the upcoming Marvel film Guardians Of The Galaxy, a role that she shaved her long red hair for.

"The female villain in the film, that is something I've never done before, it's brand-new territory, and I just thought I'm going to have some fun with this," the actress said.

In addition to shaving her head, Gillan trained for two months to get into the physical shape of Nebula, a sadistic assassin employed by super-villain Thanos. She said she is fascinated by human behaviour and psychology.

"Finding the motivation for her to be the baddie is quite interesting. It's like being a lawyer, finding the redeeming features so that she's not just bad for the sake of being bad," she said.

"And it's just fun to play the baddie," she added with a laugh. — Reuters

Emceed by veteran stage performer Lin Ru Ping, who was clad in a pouffy blue mini-dress cinched with a black sequinned belt, the concert under a white marquee along Hougang Street 61 last night was not only entertaining but educational, too.

In between the song and dance numbers belted out by nine other artists in flashy, shiny outfits, Lin explained to the 1,200-strong crowd details of the Government's Pioneer Generation Package (PGP) in English, Mandarin and Chinese dialects including Hokkien and Teochew.

In front of a crowd of mostly senior citizens, she broke the ice at the start of the performance by asking those who have turned or will be turning 65 this year to raise their hands.

A smattering of hands went up, although the crowd warmed up considerably as the performance, which stretched till 10pm last night, went on.

Under the S$8bil (RM20.7bil) Pioneer Generation Package, which was announced during this year's Budget, those aged 65 and above this year and those who became citizens before 1987 are eligible for a series of healthcare subsidies.

These include annual Medisave top-ups ranging from S$200 (RM518) to S$800 (RM2,073), subsidies for MediShield Life premiums and also subsidies for outpatient treatment.

About 450,000 first-generation Singaporeans are expected to benefit.

The event, titled "Thanking Our Pioneer Generation Getai Show", was organised by the Punggol South Grassroots Organisations to help elderly residents in the neighbourhood better understand their entitlements under the Package.

The show, which cost about S$8,000 (RM20,700), was fully funded by donations from three individuals from the Punggol Park Community Centre Management Committee. It was free for all attendees.

"This is the first getai in Singapore which uses this platform to reach out to seniors," Gan Thiam Poh, MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, said.

"Senior citizens may not read newspapers or watch television, so getai can be a platform to (learn about the package) in a language close to their hearts," he said.

The getai is the latest initiative to reach out to older, non-English-speaking Singaporeans and help inform them about the package.

Last month, a four-minute-long video clip featuring a fortune teller explaining the Pioneer Generation Package in Hokkien was posted on video-sharing platform YouTube.

Retiree Ling Yuan De, who walked to the getai from his house across the road, said in Mandarin: "I enjoyed the getai and I thought it was a good way to introduce government policies to us."

A MEASLES outbreak in the Philippines has infected 23 Singaporeans who had travelled there since January, said an alert from the Ministry of Health (MOH).

They are among 80 people here have come down with measles so far this year. This is high, given that the annual numbers were 46 and 38 respectively for the past two years.

But the risk of an outbreak here is low, said the MOH, as most people are vaccinated against this highly contagious disease.

It said that half the people who were infected here this year were young children who had missed their vaccination.

Symptoms of measles include a rash, cough, runny nose, red eyes and fever. About a third of people with measles suffer from complications such as pneumonia, ear infection that can lead to loss of hearing, and inflammation of the brain lining that could cause convulsions.

Complications are more common in children under five years and in adults.

The Philippine Department of Health reported 15,683 suspected cases of measles from Jan 1 to Feb 15 this year. Of these, 3,434 were confirmed, and 23 deaths were reported. — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Adult circumcision could potentially halve the risk of prostate cancer, according to a Canadian study.

When performed on men over the age of 35, circumcision could reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer by nearly half, according to a Canadian study published in the British Journal of Urology International.

The study's authors emphasise that the effect was particularly significant among black men.

In addition to having strong cultural and religious significance, circumcision has been shown to reduce the risk of sexually-transmitted infections.

The removal of the foreskin is even recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNAIDS as a preventative measure to limit the risk of HIV transmission, particularly in Africa.

Now, proponents of circumcision have yet another argument in their favour.

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Montreal and the INRS Armand Frappier Institute, both in Canada, indicates that the operation could significantly reduce the risk of prostate cancer when performed on men over the age of 35.

Andrea Spense, working under research directors Marie-Elise Parent and Marie-Claude Rousseau, interviewed a sample population of 2,114 men, half of whom had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

All the men answered a questionnaire on various aspects of their lifestyle and medical history.

On the whole, the data showed that circumcised men were 11% less likely to develop prostate cancer.

Men who were circumcised as infants were 14% less at risk than others. But for men circumcised over the age of 35, the risk dropped by no less than 45%.

The researchers point out that prostate cancer is rare among Jewish or Muslim men, the vast majority of whom are circumcised.

More surprising, however, were the findings related to the study's 178 black men (78% of whom were of Haitian origin).

The 30% of the black study participants who were circumcised were 60% less likely to have prostate cancer. The researchers noted that ethnic origin – along with age and family history – is a significant factor in determining an individual's risk for prostate cancer, and that black men are generally more likely to develop the disease than those from other ethnic groups.

While further research needs to be conducted to confirm the link between circumcision and reduced risk of prostate cancer, other recent studies seem to point to similar conclusions.

One study carried out by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, United States, the results of which were published in Cancer in March 2012, indicated a 15% reduction in the risk of developing prostate cancer among circumcised men. – AFP Relaxnews

Highlighting a few critical steps to consider before you make a decision to buy critical illness insurance.

Last week's article looked at the history of critical illness insurance. It was conceptualised by heart surgeon Dr Marius Barnard, after he had witnessed the suffering of many patients.

His mounting frustration stemmed from his observation that doctors could only operate and treat their patients after a bout of critical illness, but patients themselves constantly neglected their recuperation by returning to often-strenuous work to make ends meet for their family.

This inevitably resulted in their health deteriorating further.

Dr Barnard's idea was a simple, yet profound one – what if a minor tweak was made to life insurance, so that the payout was upon the diagnosis of a critical insurance and not upon death?

This would enable patients to receive a substantial amount of money to pay off their expenses while they convalesced. Through his persistence and involvement in politics, the first critical illness plan was launched in 1983.

Today, most of us know that critical illness insurance is popular and frequently marketed as part of a complete financial planning and protection portfolio.

However, conflicting financial needs and increasingly complex products and add-ons can make the purchase of a plan a perplexing decision.

Here, we break down a few steps to consider before you make that decision to buy a policy:

Do I really need critical illness cover?

Critical illness insurance is by no means mandatory, but the most important aspect of critical illness cover is the immediate amount of money that is paid out upon the diagnosis of the illness, and this, at the very least, alleviates the amount of stress that you'd face financially.

Think about it, is being worried something you want to experience while sick or recovering?

Critical illness cover should be a serious consideration in the following situations:

·When you or your spouse have significant competing financial priorities (housing or education debt, retirement) and dependents, so that you cannot afford to deplete your savings if you are hit with a critical illness.

·When your employer's benefits are insufficient.

What does critical illness cover encompass?

Policies generally allow for claims on up to 36 critical illnesses. This list represents some of the more common illnesses and is already fairly extensive.

However, in Malaysia, there are three critical illnesses that have both a high chance of occurring and recurring more than once during a person's lifetime. These are heart attack, stroke, and the various forms of cancers.

Most conventional critical plans lapse once a single claim has been made on a selected illness, which is unfortunate. Studies have shown that the chance of surviving a critical illness is getting higher when the right lifestyle changes are made, but in tandem, relapses or different critical illnesses can occur.

Hence, you should comb through the benefits and exclusions carefully. There are products that offer "multiple", "twice", or even "triple" coverage, but not all policies are created equal, including those that cover only "early cancer", or excluding recurrence on the same illnesses.

Exclusion clauses are also common for illnesses that are already present at the onset; pre-purchase and any neglect in disclosing this information can render the entire policy void.

How much critical illness cover do I need?

This is often the most common question, and the trickiest.

The first thing to consider is what kind of directly-related costs you would incur if a critical illness hits, and how much you expect these financial costs to run up to, and for how long.

These are of course the medical, hospitalisation and treatment expenses. But do note, these expenses can be immediate, or they can be staggered out over a period of time (dialysis or chemotherapy for example). This amount is the very least that your critical illness plan should cover.

Other than that, list down all the other expected expenses that arise directly as a result of a critical illness:

·Will you need a sum of money to replace your income for yourself and dependants if you're not working when ill?

·Do you have any urgent debts and expenses that need to be paid off if you are not working when ill?

You should then evaluate to see if you want the critical illness plan to cover the above, or if it can come from your savings, or if you're willing to liquidate some assets during that period.

Your insurance agent will be able to help you with this.

The below is an example of the costs of major surgery that arise from critical illnesses, taken from Critical Illness & Family Financial Impacts.

· Coronary artery by-pass surgery: RM30,000-RM50,000

· Angioplasty: RM16,000-RM25,000

· Heart transplant: RM50,000-RM80,000

· Heart disease: RM10,000-RM30,000

· Stroke: RM30,000-RM60,000

· Liver transplant: RM300,000-RM400,000

· Bone marrow transplant: Adult, RM350,000; child, RM140,000

But do factor in that the expected increase in medical costs is approximately 12-15% per year. What costs RM100,000 today, will be quadrupled in 10 years.

What else should I do before buying a policy?

At the most basic, you should look out for the below when purchasing a policy:

· How much the maximum benefits are for the policy, versus the costs that you need to incur for that insurance.

· What kind of deductibles there are – deductibles refer to the costs that you have to pay for yourself before the insurer takes up the claim, and can vary greatly from one insurer to another.

· Waiting periods – you would have to wait a number of days from the day you bought the policy, and in between illnesses, before you make a claim. The shorter the waiting period, the better.

Next week, we look into the various type of critical illness plans that are available in the market, and selecting one that suits your needs.